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EPA Awards Study Grant to Children's Mercy Hospital

$200,000 EPA grant will go to provide education to health care students about indoor air and health problems.

Jun 14, 2013

Health care students will get an opportunity to learn more about pediatric environmental health, healthy homes, indoor air quality and pesticide use, thanks to a $200,000 grant awarded to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City by Region 7 of the federal Environmental Protection Agency,

The money is being provided through an Environmental Education Grant and will help students get information on what health effects can occur from environmental exposures in homes. Conditions covered in the study will include asthma, lead poisoning and skin reactions from pesticides.

"Students will share this knowledge within the health care community to increase awareness about environmental issues in the home that can affect the health of families. This project will have a region-wide impact in protecting human health by decreasing home related asthma health care costs and improving indoor air quality," said EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks.

Students will learn how to do a basic environmental history and will get in-depth information on home-related environmental hazards.

Focus on teaching about environmental and health hazards in the home

"This innovative project will focus on teaching health care students about environmental and health hazards as they relate to children's health and healthy homes," EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks said. "Students will share this knowledge within the health care community to increase awareness about environmental issues in the home that can affect the health of families. This project will have a region-wide impact in protecting human health by decreasing home related asthma health care costs and improving indoor air quality."

Improving indoor air quality in homes of children and adults in rural, urban, low-income and minority communities will be the focus of the project. Special emphasis will be given to ways to improve the health of asthma sufferers and those populations vulnerable to asthma caused by indoor air pollution.

EPA's Environmental Education Grant Program is a competitive grant program that supports efforts to enhance the public's awareness and knowledge about environmental issues. This grant program supports environmental education projects to increase skills and to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality and to take responsible actions toward the environment.